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January 15, 2010
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Please download and install the latest version of Flash Player before continuing. MORE WEST SWELL HITS CALIFORNIA: FULL SLIDESHOW Golden State goes on Surf Overload Another west swell? Sure thing. Why not? And this El Nino winter doesn't want to quit either. With the absence of the North Pacific High, the door for strong, El Nino-enhanced frontal storms to develop into large complex systems over the ocean is left wide open. These storms continue to spin off Japan and move just north of Hawaii on a direct track toward California, and a track through the lower latitudes to boot, developing swells that light up nearly every spot on the West Coast from Canada down to Mainland Mexico. Furthermore, weak high pressure has generally sat over the West Coast to not only help block these frontal storms from sweeping into the region, but to provide the favorable fall-like conditions (light to offshore wind) that we all love. A perfect example of this was the most recent run of west swell. An approaching and developing frontal storm began to slow down once it entered the eastern half of the North Pacific over the 9th-10th. With a broad fetch extending from roughly ~270-300 degrees over relatively the same area of ocean with a wide range of different wind speeds, a solid mix of short- to mid- to long-period W-WNW swells arrived into the West Coast the past few days as good conditions prevailed. As a result, practically every spot offered some surf with standout exposed breaks holding some good size. Big-wave spots such as Maverick's and Todos Santos were stirred as well. Want more? Well, a new and solid pulse of WNW swell is lining up for next week. Unfortunately, conditions are suspect as a barrage of fronts are expected to bring a lot of rain and variable winds to the region. Check the forecast. --Jonathan Warren, Surfline Forecaster |